After a recent lecture by Dr. Dyfri Williams, Research Keeper of Greek and Roman antiquities at the British Museum, several members of the audience stood up on behalf of Greece and expressed their outrage at the British Museum’s refusal to return the Parthenon Sculptures, or the Elgin Marbles, to the city of Athens. Dr. Williams answered their scathing interjections with a well-rehearsed summary of the issues key points and complexities of the issue, and it was clear he encountered such protests
their forms and subject matter to suit their new clients ,this was one of the positive aspect ,also there was the British occupation of Benin , so I will talk about five elements in this essay ,firstly what is the concept of cultural encounter , particularly of Benin art , how the art is encountered shapes how understood,
Francois Champollion realized that the hieroglyphs recorded the sound of the Egyptian Language, and this laid the foundation of our knowledge of Ancient Egypt.The stone came into the possession of the British after they defeated the French in Egypt in 1801. The Rosetta Stone is currently in the British Museum, however Egypt wants it back. Jean Francois Champollion and Thomas Young combined their talents to decipher the Demotic script and Egyptian hieroglyphics. They compared them to the Greek text. The
part of the temple of the Parthenon in Athens. Lord Elgin (British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire) had agents remove about half of the surviving sculptures of the Parthenon. The Elgin Marbles, also referred to as the Parthenon Marbles, were transported to Britain. In Britain, the acquisition of the marbles was supported by some, while others (including the poet, Lord Byron) related Elgin's actions to vandalism or looting. The British public is, in fact, in favor of returning the Marbles to Greece
In a political sense, the British have a powerful claim to the Parthenon marbles as they are the legal owners of the artefacts. This is due to Lord Elgin selling the Marbles to the British government when he was in bankruptcy. Since the British got ownership of the relics from Elgin instead of taking the Marbles out of the Parthenon, they have complete possession of the sculptures. But the Marbles were not even illegally taken from Greece, as a document was written that allowed Elgin’s men to take
probable that Fernao Gomes, a Portuguese 'merchant adventurer' discovered the kingdom of Benin in 1474 (Wood, K. 2008, p. 8), seeking trading opportunities and looking for gold. The... ... middle of paper ... ...best case for the retention of the British Benin sculptures is to accord them the unique status they deserve as exceptional artworks and exhibit them appropriately in a prestigious national art gallery, for everyone to appreciate fully. Works Cited Flinders, P. and Holman, K. and others
The display of Benin art in museum and galleries reflect the attitudes and perceptions of Europeans towards non-western artefacts, especially African. Thus as European attitudes change towards non-western art since the discovery of Benin art in 1897, Benin art has been revaluated and re-categorised. Initially there was a great deal of debate about Benin art and its display, as it did not equate with the perceptions then held about Africa. Until the British conquest of Benin in 1897, little was
College Oxford where he began his study of antiquity after which he began his career at the Ashmolean Museum. He then proceeded to partake in his first excavation in Karanog and Buhen in Nubia as well as doing some work in Italy. Based on this work he was offered the position of Director excavations at the British Museum. He continued to participate in minor excavations until his collaboration with the Museum of the University of Philadelphia and his successful excavations at Ur. Though he had some difficulties
... ...nomaus." The Hellenic World. Ancient Worlds, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. Atsma, Aaron J., ed. "Pandora." Theoi Greek Mythology. Theoi Project, 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. . L. Burn, The British Museum book of G-1, revised edition (London, The British Museum Press,1999) Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Museum of Fine Arts, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. “Philadelphia MS4833 (Vase).” Perseus Image Browser. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. "Philadelphia MS4833 (Vase)." Perseus Image Browser. N.p., n.d. Web
the documentation is either bias or flawed. An example is how Lord Elgin has been viewed when he “liberated” the Parthenon marbles off the walls to be taken to his estate through the use of blackmail. The previous statement was a common opinion of British and Greeks citizens who saw Elgin as a thief who only wanted the marbles to put on display in his home. Alternatively others who favoured Elgin’s actions, viewed him as a hero who sought to enhance the cultural diversity of Britain. Both these interpretations
Without the combined use of perception, emotion, logic, and language, my ability to pursue knowledge and gain an understanding of the world around me is limited. For me, measuring the success of the pursuit of knowledge is based on the fact that I am able to comprehend knowledge from multiple viewpoints, and not be restricted to a certain way of thinking. In Maslow’s quote, being only restricted to one tool, or way of knowing, is an issue for me to pursue knowledge because of the restrictions and
1. The Naxos Sphinx – Crafted between 570-560 B.C. The Naxos Sphinx, depicted to the left, has the head of a woman, the wings of a griffin, and the body of a lion. Standing just over 7 feet high, the sculpture appears to be much larger; this is mainly due to its placement a top of a 10 meters tall Ionic column. Discovered in a series of broken pieces back in 1861, this marble structure is regarded as both impressive and quite detailed. In ancient Greek times sphinxes were most commonly placed on
Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and Greece were all historical civilizations that made history the way it is today. The three civilizations differed in many different ways, but they were also quite similar in other aspects. The focus of survival, beliefs, daily life, and many other focuses connect the three civilizations. Ancient Mesopotamia arose in an unknown definite time period, but they were mainly centered in the fertile crescent area. The area was mainly fought over, but was eventually
There have been many Ancient Greek temples that have been discovered. Most of these sanctuaries are magnificent stone or marble structures. Structures that leave people in awe and make them want to be transported back to when this building was built. One of these many temples is the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. There were many reasons as to why this amazing building was built, why it is famous, and why it affected so many people in Ancient times. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus had many reasons
Leslie Ruano March 23,2018 Final Draft 3A “The Lovely Stones” The Parthenon embraces its beauty in human history , however , it imprisons its misuse and abuse in addition. In Christopher Hitchens’s , “The Lovely Stones” , he builds an argument to persuade the audience that the original Parthenon Sculptures should be returned to Greece . Christopher Hitchens uses negative diction , cultural references , and the rhetorical appeal , logos
Article focuses on the archeological discovery of a medieval palace at Old Sarum. The archeological team at the University of Southampton located the palace “using geophysical ground-penetrating ‘xray’ technology”(citation), which scanned the area under the grass of the Iron Age hill fort at Old Sarum. The reason for it being under so much grass is due to the fact that “by the early 13th century, the political and diocesan centre at Old Sarum was proving too cramped and exposed to the elements
from its culture. As antiquities are the leading contributors to museum collections, it comes into another debate over whether the looting is a morally right thing to do. However much like the issue of forgery, it causes issues for archeologists as they lose the element of being an artifact when they become an antiquity in a museum, it loses their accessibility to archeologists. As an example, the Hope Dionysos from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as it is a famous statue that has been known through
The African God Bumba Bumba is an African Creator God of the Bushongo people of the Congo. He was believed to be the mighty creator god of vomit. In the beginning, it was dark and Bumba emerged from the darkness. He was a pale-skinned giant figure. He was ill and had been for millions of years. He was lonely, and it was making him ill. He was bothered by a bellyache, and he staggered around, moaned and vomited up the Sun. Light now came to the Universe. He next chocked out the Moon. The
that if two objects are separate, people should be inclined to bring them back together. He provides an example stating that “If the Mona Lisa had been sawed in two during the Napoleonic Wars and the separated halves had been acquired by different museums… would there not be a general wish to see what they might look like if reunited?” The author wants to persuade the reader to support the idea that the fractured statues within the Parthenon should be brought back together, because logically, when
Ancient art allows people to experience ancient cultures and the way people saw the world long ago. Ancient Egyptian art and ancient Greek art both have their own similarities and differences in their techniques, designs, and meanings. I have chosen to analyze the ancient Greek piece, Athena Parthenos, and the ancient Egyptian piece, Black Basalt Sculpture of Cleopatra VII Philopator. Ancient art was a large part of the ancient Greek and Egyptian cultures. Many ancient art pieces have influenced